HDMS Det Store Bælt (1782)


HDMS Det Store Bælt was a frigate of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy, launched in 1782. In 1800, she was sold to the Danish Asiatic Company and renamed Holsteen.

Construction and design

Det Store Bælt was constructed at Bodenhoffs Plads to a design by Henrik Gerner. She was the first of at least three frigates constructed for the navy at Andreas Bodenhoff's dockyard. The next were Friderichsværn and Hvide Ørn. Det Store Bælt was launched on 22 June 1782 and the construction was completed in August 1783.
Store Bælt was long with a beam of and a draught of. Her complement was 274 men. Her armament was 36 12-pounder guns.

Career

Naval service

She was commissioned in the Royal Danish Navy and served for some years as the cadet training ship in the North and Baltic seas. In 1785, she was under the command of Ole Andreas Kierulff.
In 1793 she was patrolling in the North Sea under the command of A J Herbst, and in 1795 and 1797 was part of a joint Danish/Swedish squadron enforcing neutrality and protecting trade. In 1797, she was under the command of Hans Lindholm.

DAC service

In 1800 the Royal Danish Navy sold Store Bælt for 7,800 rigsdaler to the Danish Asiatic Company who renamed her Holsten
From her home port of Copenhagen Holsten completed three voyages to the East Indies:
  • 1800–1801
  • 1801–1803 under captain Jan Hendrick Helsding
  • 1804–1805 also under captain Jan Hendrick Helsding.
On 12 June 1805 Holstein, Helfding, master, was reported off Dover on her way from Bengal to Copenhagen. It appears that it was on a fourth voyage that she met her fate.

Fate

A report in the Madras Courier dated 10 February 1807 stated that the Danish company's ship Holstein was sailing from Copenhagen to Serampore when she was dismasted off Ceylon. She sailed to Mauritius for repairs. On reaching Mauritius Holsten was condemned as unseaworthy.
The DAC replaced her, in December 1806, with the purchase from the French at Mauritius the recently captured East Indiaman, which the Company then renamed Holsten.

Namesakes

At least two other ships have borne similar names"